McKnight, 51, was last seen at 12:55 a.m. near the conclusion of a busy five hour watch, where he directly supervised eleven Firefighter/Dispatchers in overseeing the life safety needs, a department spokesman said in a prepared statement.

"Despite an exhaustive effort by colleagues who immediately performed CPR, applied a defibrillator and instituted advanced life support measures, McKnight proved beyond medical help and was declared dead Monday morning at the Los Angeles County/USC Medical Center," the spokesman said.

McKnight is survived by his wife, teenage daughter and pre-teen son, as well as two brothers who are active-duty members of the LAFD.